“Be Prepared”

I was a Boy Scout as a youth and a scout leader when my son was younger.  The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.”  While we can rejoice that Hurricane Gustav turned out not to be a Katrina, I find greater encouragement in the evacuation efforts before the storm.  The number of people evacuated from the gulf coast was historic.  There were winds of 110 miles per hour and torrential rain, but the flooding was not catastrophic and people were safe.  We were prepared.  There are a few thoughts that come to my mind from this experience.

1.      There were no new technological breakthroughs in our abilities to track hurricanes.  There was no greater lead time to respond to the warnings.  What changed was the willingness of those living in the region to listen.  God’s word has not changed; the only difference is our willingness to listen.

2.      The potential for devastation was taken seriously.  After seeing what Katrina had done, fewer foolhardy folks choose to ride out the storm.  It was much harder to sit tight and hope the hurricane would veer in another direction.  Sin ravages the world around us, yet we try to ride out its effects and hope it misses our house.

3.      Hurricanes come every season, but greater care was taken to plan for evacuation.  We know what we should do with our lives—love our spouses, care for our children, and interact ethically in our work places, but so often we act out of selfish motives.  Preparedness calls us to live with faith and integrity all the time.

4.      It is a relief that resources were spent to save lives, rather than clean up after a disaster.  When we are part of church communities, we are investing in prevention.  The church is also there to clean up after disasters in our lives, because of the resources built up in preparation.

I hope this gives you thought to how you are living your life.  Are you prepared?

Shalom,
Pastor Kevin

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8-3-08 Sermon 

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